Description
Z15 Erich Steinbrinck was a Type 1934A-class destroyer built for Nazi Germany’s Kriegsmarine in the mid-1930s. The ship was named after the First World War German naval officer Erich Steinbrinck. At the beginning of World War II on 1 September 1939, the ship was initially deployed to blockade the Polish coast, but she was quickly transferred to the North Sea to lay defensive minefields. In late 1939 and 1940 the ship laid multiple offensive minefields off the English coast that claimed 24 merchant ships and a destroyer. Steinbrinck was under repair for most of the Norwegian Campaign of early 1940 and was transferred to France later that year.
After a lengthy refit in Germany, she returned to France in early 1941 where she escorted returning warships, commerce raiders, and supply ships through the Bay of Biscay for several months. After her refit was completed, Steinbrinck was transferred to Northern Norway in 1942 where she participated in several minor operations before she was damaged running aground and forced to return to Germany for repairs. The ship returned to Norway in mid-1943 where she escorted German capital ships as they moved between Norway and Germany and participated in the German attack (Operation Zitronella) on the Norwegian island of Spitzbergen, well north of the Arctic Circle. Steinbrinck was ordered home in November to begin a lengthy refit, during which she was badly damaged by Allied bombs, and was unserviceable for the rest of the war. She was turned over to the Soviet Union after the war as war reparations and only served a few years before she was converted into a training ship and then a barracks ship before being sold for scrap in 1958.
Made from solid wood, this item is in EXCELLENT used condition! Hand-painted, it belongs to reservist Kurt Bendix, who served in the Reichsmarine in the 1930s, and eventually became an officer aboard the Erich Steinbrinck in WW2. Approx. 1 meter long, it is made in 3 sections and dated October 22, 1944. There are some slight marks, wear, and paint loss, but VERY solid otherwise! Obtained directly form the family, however I do not have any additional info. Would make a FANTASTIC addition to any collection or display!
